All Features
Fred Mason
Measurements add value to the parts you manufacture. That may not be a widely accepted position, because the act of measuring is an additional step in the manufacturing sequence, and every step has a cost associated with it. With pressure to reduce costs and improve productivity, some might think…
Quality Digest
GKS Inspection Services, a division of Laser Design Inc., recently opened a CAD-modeling office in India. The office, which is in Pune, employs 12 engineers who provide reverse engineering and inspection services. Because it’s growing so rapidly, GKS says it plans to hire 10 more…
Quality Digest
Metronics Inc. recently introduced the Quadra-Chek 300, a digital readout system that combines multiple video measuring functions in a single, compact display unit. A combination cross-line generator and automated edge detection provide users with improved accuracy, and increased measuring…
Quality Digest
Metrology Resource Co. and Siemens Optical Solutions recently introduced a single-point confocal displacement sensor that combines confocal microscopy with high-speed scanning. The Seimens SISCAN Model SC has applications in a wide variety of industries. It provides high-speed distance…
Quality Digest
Companies are now expected to be able to lower recalls and warranty costs with a new Automotive Industry Action Group guideline that monitors parts undergoing heat treatment. Heat treatment is a special process that improves strength, fatigue life, ductility, wear and corrosion resistance on…
Denise Robitaille
I have long maintained that renumbering procedures from the defunct ISO 9001:1994 standard to reflect the numerical scheme of ISO 9001:2000 is an exercise of questionable value. After all, aren’t they just numbers? What difference can it possibly make if your purchasing procedure is…
Quality Digest
The International Electrotechnical Commission recently released the second edition of a standard related to requirements for software systems in nuclear power plants. IEC 60880: Nuclear Power Plants—Instrumentation and control systems important to safety—Software aspects for computer-…
Quality Digest
Two research companies are partnering to discover the real reasons professionals quit their jobs, and they’re asking for your help.dxResearch and The Benchmarking Exchange report that the purpose of the study is to benchmark the nature and degree of dissatisfaction with an organization…
"Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the Lord did there confound the languages of all the earth…" —Genesis 11:9 The story of the Tower of Babel occupies but nine verses of the Book of Genesis, but it contains a valuable lesson for today: a multiplicity of languages makes…
Quality Digest
A new book explores the dual use of lean and Six Sigma, and offers tips on how best to synch the methodologies for maximum benefit and minimum risk. In Using Lean for Faster Six Sigma Results: A Synchronized Approach (Productivity Press, 2006), authors Mark Nash, Sheila Poling and Sophronia…
Quality Digest
The Asia Pacific Quality Organization and the Australian Organisation for Quality will host an upcoming conference. QUALCON-APQO 2006 will feature sessions for many industries as they relate to quality, including occupational health and safety management, environmental management systems…
Quality Digest
Lean Six Sigma consulting firm Bellwether Services was recently awarded a five-year support agreement by the Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA). NAVSEA is the Navy’s umbrella command for its comprehensive quality-improvement and efficiency programs. The Navy has implemented Six Sigma, lean…
Quality Digest
An upcoming conference for financial services professionals interested in Six Sigma will be held in Hong Kong. "Building Profitable Platforms for Growth in Financial Services," will be held Sept. 26–27 at the Royal Garden Hotel in Kowloon, Hong Kong. Preconference workshops will be held…
Praveen Gupta
At a recent committee meeting of a professional association, the speaker talked about print media and the Internet. Print media are struggling because the Internet can more easily disseminate information. The Internet is changing the world, and print media are those most directly affected by this…
Quality Digest
DNV Certification and the Project Management Institute will launch the Organizational Project Management Maturity Model (OPM3) ProductSuite Certification Program. PMI has nearly 220,000 members in more than 15 countries and is the leading trade group for the project management profession.…
Quality Digest
Omnex Inc. and the Automotive Industry Action Group have formed a global training partnership to provide lean and Six Sigma training to AIAG members. As part of the agreement, Omnex—which has offices in several Indian cities—will represent AIAG in India. Omnex will provide training to AIAG members…
Quality Digest
Rath & Strong recently joined Decisioneering Inc.’s Crystal Ball Six Sigma Partner Program. As a new Six Sigma partner, Rath & Strong will work with Decisioneering to promote Crystal Ball simulation and optimization tools throughout its Six Sigma initiatives. Crystal Ball is…
Quality Digest
Value-Train will host a live, instructor-led webinar on MINITAB software this fall. The company recently held a prototype course on the subject and decided to schedule the training again after it received such positive reviews from it, the company reports. The next class will be held Sept…
Thomas R. Cutler
HR Nicholson Co., “pioneers in the juice industry,” has operated for nearly a century. The company has grown from 45 employees to 75 employees in just the past six years. The family-owned, Baltimore-based manufacturing and distribution company realized that, unlike the first eighty-plus years when…
Quality Digest
Jill M. Considine, chairwoman and CEO of the Depository Trust & Clearing Corp. (DTCC) received the top honor as Six Sigma CEO of the Year at the Global Six Sigma Summit & Industry Awards, held June 28. Considine was honored for her leadership and implementation of Six Sigma at…
Quality Digest
Kohler Co. recently selected InfinityQS to provide statistical process control software and services for select plants in the United States. Kohler has used InfinityQS’ SPC software at a plant in Kohler, Wisconsin, for many years. Based on positive results achieved there, the company opted…
Quality Digest
Solectron Corp., a provider of electronics manufacturing and integrated supply-chain services, recently received Stratus Technologies’ 2006 Supplier Excellence Award. Solectron’s Columbia, South Carolina, plant was honored for its outstanding performance in support of the introduction of…
Quality Digest
Kevin Caldwell recently joined the Juran Institute as its vice president for enterprise assurance. Caldwell, of Chattanooga, Tennessee, has more than 30 years of experience in operations, business performance and quality management, for a variety of industries in international and U.S.…
Quality Digest
The Shanghai Association for Quality Management and Shanghai Mobile Communication Corp. recently formed a Scientific Research Base of Quality.The Scientific Research Base of Quality will lead the Shanghai Mobile Performance Excellence Management project, which will help Shanghai Mobile improve its…
Christopher Werner
Although conventional homogenization has served the needs of the dairy industry and other industries for more than a century, the producers of pharmaceutical, personal care, chemical and food products are increasingly turning to high-shear fluid processing when highly precise processing is required…
